The Irish standard., 1887-07-30

aasrs.nusezr..s
Has landlord power been materially
weakened? Has the tide Of eviction been
stemmed to any appreciable extent? Has
emigration been stopped Within the
short space of three months, it the face
Of an admitted agricultural depression,
in the face of Sir James Cards un-
| blassed assertion regarding the disap~
pearance of economic rents from half a
million holdings, one thousand families
We're elected from their homesteads for
non payment of economic rent (shame).
And now, gentlemen, come 70 the sub
| jecr of how far resistance to eviction
is u justifahle proceeding III Ireland.
Let me not be misunderstood when l.
talk of reasonable resistance" to
eviction. A general armed opposition TO
to the forces of the Grown would be
simply madness. No sane Individual
| would favor any such ainless resistance
as that. 1 would be opposed to such q
remedy, not because of any crimiEality
in the means, for there would he none,
but because of the utter hopelessness Of
any chance of success without a sufi-
ciency Of arms. II ever there was COM
plete and unansNerahle justification for
u resort to arbitrament OF force III the
yjndication Of nation IS iDdisputable
right, the supreme right Of It's peoDlat to
existence in the land where they were
born, that justiticatio would be ours
when we see our liberties as men tram
pied upon, our country lnenaced with q
brutal coercion act, and our bomestaat!s
torn from their owners in the name OF a
law which is already Unidentified with
the externination of our race and the
misery and humiiiatlon Of our father
land (cheers}. We know what Lord
ssalisbury's avowed policy is; we will do
our utmost TO obstGuct and thwart it
(cheers.) If he strikes at our liber-
ties we viii retaljate upon tn
rents and security Of his land
lord garrison. Instead Of pas
sive fight upon twenty estates fora pal
try reduction Of &c or 80 per cent we
may be driven i'll sheer self defense
TO strike against any rent whatever,
to barr!cade every house alla earn inn
prisonment Or death by a manly stand
for the rights of our heartlastones rather
than deserve by cowardly submission
to eviction the rank OF a pauper and the
degradation OF the poorhouse (lond
cheers.l There has not been since the
Land League movement began such B.
unique opportunityfora Ia justification ola
revolt against the payment of rent 20
Irish landlords as Salisbury's policy is
soon about to offer the people Of ireland,
q weapon which public sentiment the
world over Justify us in using against
q government of landlords which at
tempts to hlch from us every vestige of
constitutional liberty. If the Irish
people are called upon by their leaders
to strike back at the Tory assassin by q
universal refusal to Day rent tribute to
scoercionist landlor garrison,
the man who would panny to an Irish
landlord after such an appeal would be-
come o traitor to the liberty Of his co1u-
try. 1t would be Christian peoples
revolt against an immoral system, which
violates almost every day Of his existence
the sanctity and rights Of the domestic
life Of the nation (cheers.(
On the motion Of Captain Kerr, q
hearty vote Of thanks was accorded
Mr. Davitt for his address.